1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to toys, particularly to a new toy for playing aquatic games. Specifically, this invention relates to a submersible toy periscope, a diving mask, and a coupling mechanism or connecting structure that links such periscope to such mask together.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
Among the aquatic toys of the prior art, one finds submersible toy periscopes. Periscopes are well-known optical instruments that deviate or displace an observer's line of sight to provide a view of a distant object that otherwise would be visually inaccessible. In their most basic form, periscopes consist of a pair of mirrors bonded to an elongated housing, which has inlet and outlet openings. Light rays entering the inlet opening are reflected by the mirrors so that the observer's eyes, located in front of the outlet opening, see such rays. Thereby, the observer is effectively seeing the distant object along the same direction of the initially unreflected light rays.
Most periscopes have parallel rectangular mirrors of equal size. Accordingly, the housing has a uniform and rectangular cross-section. Typically, such rudimentary periscopes have narrow angular fields of view. Specifically, the larger the distance between the user's eyes and the mirror located near the outlet opening, the narrower the sweep of the angular fields of view. Anybody skilled in the domain of geometry and trigonometry, and with a basic knowledge of the principles of ray optics, finds obvious how such a rudimentary periscope should be redesigned to increase the sweep of the horizontal and vertical angular fields of view, without changing the distance between the outlet opening and the user's eye closest to such opening. One wide angle trapezoidal periscope is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,934,246 to Benson et al (1990); this periscope is specially made for security and military purposes. However, no use of such wide angle trapezoidal housings have been made in submersible toy periscopes.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,393,068 to Kane (1995) and 3,533,625 to Kossor et al (1970) make use of periscopes for sighting a toy target located in suitable ground housings. A toy periscope with rectangular cross-section is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,887,893 to Dahlgren (1989). Its main advantage is case of manufacturing, since the housing is formed of a one-piece, blow-molded plastic material, and mirror holding elements are easily attached to the inlet and outlet openings.
A submersible toy periscope is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,526,177 to Fantone (1996). Fantone's periscope allows a child, whose eyes are located above the surface of a body of water, to see an undisturbed image of objects and processes taking place beneath such surface, even though it may be turbulent. On the other hand, diving masks can also be used by a child when playing aquatic games. Diving masks allow a child, whose eyes are located below such water surface, to see an undisturbed image of underwater objects and processes. Hence, diving masks of the prior art and Fantone's submersible periscope give the user a view of underwater action. In the case of diving masks, the user is also underwater, while in the case of Fantone's periscope the user's head is located above the water surface.
A periscope coupled to the mounting frame of a diving mask is shown in Australian patent No. 224,858 to Girden (1959). Its periscope housing is a rudimentary one consisting of two rectangular parallel minors within an elongated housing of rectangular cross-section. The bottom mirror of the periscope is partially located between the viewing lens of the mask and the eyes of the user.
An underwater breathing-viewing apparatus is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,084,687 to Kallmeyer et al (1963). The apparatus is a one-piece structure consisting of an L-shaped periscope integrally formed to the viewing lens of the mask. In such L-shape, the light rays traveling from the top mirror to the bottom one are substantially perpendicular to a line orthogonal to the viewing lens of the mask. Thus, the apparatus is intended for periscope viewing where the underwater user must be in a vertical position.
A diving mask having means for coupling prisms or simply curved lens to the mask, thus improving the user's field of vision, is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,420,649 to Lewis (1995). Lewis's mask provides enhanced underwater visibility when the lenses are mounted on the mounting frame of the mask. Lewis's mask is not intended to be coupled to a periscope.
Thus, (1) most aquatic toys of the prior-art do not allow underwater users a simultaneous view of both surface and underwater action when the user is surface swimming in a substantially horizontal position, thereby unduly constraining the range and variety of aquatic games.
Further limitations of toy periscopes and diving masks are that:
(2) It is not possible, in a practical, convenient and reliable manner, for the user to removably couple a toy periscope to a diving mask. Conversely, there are no diving masks in the prior art also comprising structure intended to allow the user coupling the mask to a periscope.
(3) The toy periscope is a rudimentary one, consisting of two rectangular and parallel mirrors within an elongated housing of rectangular cross-section with inlet and outlet openings. Thus, the periscope (a) does not provide an acceptably wide field of vision, particularly if the user's eyes are not located close to the outlet mirror and (b) provides an image with a substantial portion comprising the inner surface of the periscope walls.
Instances in which the above limitations become apparent are when:
A swimming child cannot use almost any of the known toys, toy periscopes, and diving masks to play solitary aquatic games where he or she pretends to be a submarine at periscope depth moving forward while aiming at a floating toy target.
A group of people cannot play battle games while surface swimming. In such aquatic games, each player shoots water at other participants, or at a suitable toy target, either fixed or movable, and the game participants are always following the changing position of other players without having to take their heads out of the water. None of the known aquatic toys, toy periscopes, and diving masks can be used to play such games in a convenient manner.
In the above aquatic games, inaccurate shots are difficult to assess because they are very likely to fall outside the narrow field of view of the above rudimentary periscopes, when aimed at a suitable toy target.
Obviously, several or all the previous reasons may concurrently apply. For example, in, Dahlgren's and Girden's periscopes, a substantial portion of the image comprises the periscope walls. Moveover, the images of Girden's and Dahlgren's periscopes are restricted to a narrow field of view. Also, when submerged in water, Dahlgren's periscope does not provide a flat air-water interface within the periscope housing. Moreover, it cannot be coupled to a diving mask in a convenient or reliable manner. On the other hand, Fantone's dual-view submersible periscope is intended to be used by a child, whose eyes are located above the water surface, to see objects located underwater, and suffers from the same limitations of all rudimentary periscopes whose cross-section is rectangular and uniform. Also, its design does not allow it to be coupled to a diving mask in a simple manner. Kallmeyer's breathing-viewing apparatus does not allow surface swimming and surface viewing simultaiteously. Moreover, Kallmeyer's apparatus is primarily intended for periscope viewing. Furthermore, Kallmeyer's apparatus keeps the face of the user at atmospheric pressure, thus preventing the user from reducing the air pressure between the viewing lens and the user's face. Lewis' diving mask is intended to enhance underwater viewing by coupling the mask to suitable curved lenses. Furthermore, if Dahlgren's, Kallmeyer's, or Girden's periscopes were connected to Lewis' mask, they would all limit the user to a vertical position for periscope viewing, thus precluding simultaneous surface viewing and surface swimming.
In the realm of aquatic battle games, U.S. Pat. No. 4,077,629 to Chestney (1978) shows a battle game where each player is equipped with a water gun attached to a ship by a tether line. The purpose of the game is to sink the opponent's ship, which includes means for directing water shots into a hull that fills with water until sunk. However, all of the game's relevant action takes place above the water surface of the swimming pool; furthermore, the players' heads are also constrained to be above such surface. U.S. Pat. No. 5,514,023 to Warner (1996) shows a toy torpedo that game participants throw at each other, the participants and the toy torpedo being always underwater during the game. On the other hand, U.S. Pat. No. 5,435,569 to Zilliox (1995) gives an extensive list of references involving stationary toy targets for water games. According to Zilliox, some of these references involve toy targets that provide a quantitative indication of who is winning the game, but none of such targets are suitable for a mobile simulated combat game on the ground. Thus, it follows that they are not suitable for a mobile simulated aquatic battle game either.
Hence, further extending the previous list of limitations to a more general list of limitations of toys for playing aquatic games, we have:
(4) The few toys used to play aquatic battle games cannot be used by underwater players for aquatic battle games which action takes place above the water surface.
Zilliox's toy provides a mobile target with a cumulative measure of how many times, and how accurately, it has been hit during the course of a simulated battle. Moreover, it provides a mechanism that disables a player's water pistol from firing when the player has exceeded his or her "lifeline" so that he must drop out of combat. However, Zilliox's toy cannot be used to play aquatic games, where participants are either swimming or floating. This is because it is inconvenient to do that when one hand constantly holds a toy. On the other hand, U.S. Pat. No. 4,890,767 to Burlison (1990) describes a headband mounted water squirting device connected to a hand held water reservoir containing a trigger-actuated pump. When swimming, it is desirable to have both hands free. Thus, the hand-held water reservoir is inconvenient in such context. Hence, additional limitations of prior-art toys to play aquatic games are that:
(5) There are no aquatic toys, which further comprise a water streaming mechanism, that (a) can be conveniently used by a player without limiting the player's swimming ability, and where (b) the streaming mechanism is disabled from firing once a given threshold in the amount of water shots made by such player is exceeded.
(6) The periscope masks of the prior art do not comprise any scoring mechanism for playing aquatic battle games. For example, Girden's periscope mask, besides not allowing a wide field of view above the surface, does not comprise any structure functioning as a scoring mechanism for playing aquatic battle games, Kalleyer's periscope mask, besides not allowing simultaneous surface swimming and surface viewing, does not have a scoring mechanism either.
(7) The periscope masks of the prior art cannot be used by a child over a time scale larger than ten to twenty months, approximately, for the child's face is changing dimensions and shape as the child grows up. Thus, a new periscope mask must be bought every few years. This is the case of Girden's and Kallmeyer's periscope masks where the mask and the periscope are not intended to be disconnected or separated from each other. Moreover, when the mask and periscope are not detachable, the periscope can only be used together with the mask; thus, the periscope cannot be used as any other toy periscope, if so desired.